Albany

What a relief, a long night’s sleep without wind or pelting rain. It was really nice to have a bit of space to spread out. Because we just relaxed when we arrived we wanted to see Northam so we went back into the town and walked along the River Avon. There is a colony of white Swans that live along the river and we saw three of them but not in a group. There is a big Flour Mill ( built to break WA’s reliance on importing flour from SA, very interesting when you know Grandpa Deland brought flour to Kalgoorlie/Coolgardie from the family mill at Gawler).  Across the River Avon  there is also the longest suspension bridge of its type (pedestrian) in Australia.  After our walk we drove towards Albany, stopping on the way at Brookton which is a lovely little town where the railway station has been renovated for community use. There is an Op Shop, Parents’ Room and Craft Shop. The old water stand that was used to refill the Steam Trains has been connected to a reticulation system and the water appears to run down rocks and into a little channel. It seems to be a very proud town.

We made another Baker Shop Stop for lunch.

The farmlands we passed through all look very lush and I’m sure the farmers are very prosperous, so different from the northern stations which seemed incapable of supporting livestock even though they did.

We wanted to get set up quickly in the Caravan Park because we were unsure of what we’d find in the Camper but it seems fine. No water on the shower curtains I put over the bed or anywhere that we could see but we put the heater on and opened the windows to dry any dampness out. It hasn’t rained since we arrived and we have seen bits of blue sky so maybe the weather is going to improve. Tomorrow Alex has a dentist’s appt. because a temporary filling came out with a Kool Mint, I hope the solution is simple and painless. We’re booked in for another night and will enjoy not having a cold walk to the Amenities Block since we have an ensuite site.

Swan on the Avon River, Northam.

Brookton Station

Pigeon, Albany Gardens Tourist Resort